Belated Wishes
by Shattered-Rayn
Summary: When Cid is forced to spend his own belated 36th birthday alone, he makes a wish that things hadn't changed so much and that he still had the one he loved. Fluffiness inside. CidVin Major OOCness. Post AC.


Okay, just a short oneshot I recently did to clear my mind of any fluffiness. For some reason, it passed my mind that Cid Highwind had a birthday back on the 22nd of February. So to make up for it, a little romance deal for him. Yes, it is by me so expect angst and all that good crap. I can't write a straight (as in pure)romance, it goes against all my ethics. lol There's gotta be something else in there. But yes, this is CidxVincent, so yeah. There's nothing too yaoish though, only softy crap and shonen-ai. But beware my trademark turns of the plot. :evil laugh: There's a small one. Well, it's small compared to some of my others. So, on with the fluffiness. I'm really sorry if this is crappy, I just had to get it out of my system.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cid or Vincent or any of those other guys. Square Enix is extremely lucky.

**Belated Wishes**

"Ah, shit!" Cid wiped the dripping alcohol from his chin, cursing again as it soaked into his shirt. Capping the bottle, he laid it on the grass beside him. He rubbed at the spot furiously. _Can't have the others getting' after me…wait. I forgot._ The cloth fell from his hands and he sighed. There were no others.

It had been two years since he had last seen the rest of the group. That was back during the event that had become known as the 'Advent Children Incident'. Sure, he had stuck around after everything was said and done. He had actually been the last to split off on his own. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed them.

And then there was Shera. Yeah, he'd treated her like shit, but he still cared for her. He just never thought she'd have taken rejection so badly. The simple fact was, he didn't love her that way. So she had left him. He still remembered her tear-streaked face as she ran away from him a year ago. That was the last time he saw her. He had come back the next day from town and everything she'd owned was gone.

So now he was alone. It didn't matter whether he spilled alcohol on himself. It didn't even matter that he was still alive. He hadn't heard anything from the others since they had split up last. He had always thought himself the antisocialist of the group yet now he wished they were there. Maybe then he could feel something besides the depression that clouded his mind constantly.

He grasped the bottle again and dropped the cap. Taking a long draught, he coughed. "Happy fucking Birthday, Cid Highwind. Here's to your health and mental well-being," he muttered, raising the bottle to the sky. He'd been so shut up in his own mind that he'd even forgotten that. His thirty-sixth birthday had been seven days ago and here he was, sitting in a field outside of Rocket Town, a bottle of tequila his only companion save the moon and stars above.

"Another year, another…aw, shit. I don't know." He laid back, the grass cushioning him. A thought occurred to him and he laughed softly despite himself. "Yeah, don't I get a wish? Okay, I wish it wasn't like this. I wish…I wish I wasn't alone." He shook his head. What would the others say if they saw him like this?

Cloud and Barret would probably think he'd grown soft after all these years. The girls, of course, would just think it was sweet. They'd always been talking about how the men never showed their feelings. Red and Cait Sith, he had no idea. No one understood the workings of Red's hyper-intelligent mind and Cait Sith…well he had been retired. Reeve had reclaimed his name and status in the past year or so and was slowly reemerging into the corporate world with his own company. And Vincent…

Cid sighed as he recalled the crimson eyed man. Even after two years it was impossible to forget him. Everything made him think of the ebony haired, pale skinned gunner. It was almost an obsession, but it was an obsession he admitted to.

Sure, they'd started out on rocky terms, what with Cid insulting and teasing the other man constantly. But then Vincent's true nature began to seep through the cold façade he'd put up and a steady friendship began. The pilot had admired him for all he'd gone through. But before he'd known it, that admiration had turned into something else, something stronger.

It was easy to say he liked the man, but to call it love? He wasn't sure. He'd never really known love, so how could he know? But when he compared what he felt to the statements of others, it was so very close he couldn't tell the difference. His only problem was that he still felt the same after all this time.

Did Vincent know? Sure he knew. The two had almost had a relationship before they had all gone their separate ways, leaving Cid alone to ponder his feelings. That was four years ago. When they had rejoined to defeat the silver-haired brothers two years before, Vincent had acted as though there had never been anything. He hadn't even spoken to Cid aside from on professional terms.

"Nhh, dammit! Get out of my head! I don't wanna fuckin' think about you!" He stood up, only to sink back down to his knees as tears sprang to his blue eyes. "I don't wanna think…I just want to see you," he whispered. The sky above him twinkled softly with millions of stars. "Why?" His voice wavered as the sparkling drops ran down his cheeks. "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I just forget you? Why did I ever have to fall in love?" He bowed his head, the tears falling softly on the shadowed grass. Sniffing, he wiped away the tears, but they just wouldn't stop. So he simply sat there, wet drops falling on his clenched hands.

Slowly he raised his head, salty mist distorting his vision. "I just want you to know. I just want to see you one last time. I don't want to hurt anymore." He wiped his face again, clearing his eyes. "Why can't I just have that?" he whispered into the breeze.

The grass rustled as the soft wind blew through the field and Cid smiled sadly at the feel of it brushing through his hair. A memory of Vincent doing the same brought more tears to his eyes. Why did he have to leave? Why did everyone he had ever cared for leave him sooner than later?

He swiped a hand across his face and reached for the bottle again. Half of the crystal liquid had spilt out and was now spread on the grass, millions of tiny diamonds winking at him. "Figures. The only thing I can depend on anymore eventually leaves too." He swallowed the rest down, staring unfocused through the glass bottle.

"You're drunk."

The voice echoed through his head, ringing like thousands of tiny bells. Turning, he stared upward, narrowing his eyes at the man behind him. "Go away. I don't want to think about you right now." He faced forward and bowed his head once again, blonde bangs falling into his eyes. "Just leave me alone Vincent. You're nothing but a dream."

The illusion behind him laughed. It was a beautiful sound, like the rain falling. A sound so quiet, yet so powerful. "A dream? I don't know where you're looking Cid." The man knelt beside him and held up the empty bottle. "I hope you didn't drink all of this." His crimson eyes grew soft and he gazed at the still doubting man. "I'm not a dream."

Cid glanced upward, his blue eyes rimmed with shining liquid again. "Yeah right. I think I'd know the difference." He watched the man extend a hand, holding it palm out to him. Carefully, as if afraid of something, Cid reached out. Gasping as his fingertips brushed skin, he stared at the man beside him. "Vincent?"

The gunner smiled, lacing his fingers with Cid's. "Who else?"

_My god, this—this is real! He's really here!_ Cid shook his head, unable to form a coherent sentence. "You…you're…what are you doing here?" he finally managed to whisper.

Vincent laughed again, his face shadowed until he turned it away. The moon shone brightly, casting a pale glow to the gunner's cheeks and adding a sparkle to his crimson eyes. "It's funny really. I tried so hard, you know. _So _hard. But…" He turned back toward Cid, his left hand reaching up to push the pilot's blonde bangs away, the golden strands slipping over the metal. "I couldn't. I just couldn't forget any of it. I couldn't forget _you_."

Cid held his breath as Vincent pressed his lips to the pilot's. Sighing at the contact, Cid wrapped his arms around Vincent's shoulders, reveling in the warmth of the man he held. This was what he'd wanted. Had he really gotten his wish? Was it really all this easy?

Pushing the questions away, he gasped as he was pushed backward, the grass softening his fall. Looking up, he saw the raw emotion in those crimson eyes. "Why did you avoid me back then?" He posed the question carefully, not wanting Vincent to get the wrong impression.

The gunman closed his eyes, tilting his face up toward the sky. "I wanted to forget. I really did. Neither of us needed the burden of a lasting love. And it was so hard not to say anything to you back then. It about killed me, not being able to hold you and hear you whisper my name." His shoulders slumped and a raven curtain fell about his head and Cid's chest. "But I had to see you. Even after four years I couldn't let the memory of you go." He gazed down at Cid. "I hope you can forgive me," he whispered.

Cid reached up, caressing the smooth cheek. "Of course." He pulled the gunman down, wrapping his arms around the man's waist, sighing as Vincent's hand brushed through his hair. Soft lips joined his once again and he fell into blissful darkness as he closed his blue eyes. Yes, this was what he wanted. He felt a hand slide under his shirt and he gasped, allowing Vincent's tongue to dance with his own. _Yes. Please, don't let this end. I don't ever want it to end…_

Cid groaned as he woke, turning over in the soft grass. Slowly he opened his eyes, the sunlight overwhelming him briefly. But soon he was past that. He sat up, scanning the field frantically. The green blades of grass waved lazily in the warm breeze.

A feeling of defeat came over him as he looked over the empty field. He was alone. Last night had only been a drunken dream. His head dropped, blonde bangs falling in his eyes. None of it had happened; it had all been in his mind. All an illusion.

He gathered himself up and stood shakily. He figured he'd better get back home before one of the local kids found him. Being honorary mayor or Rocket Town and all, it wouldn't look to good on paper. _Honorary mayor_. He laughed. The words meant nothing to him anymore, just as everything meant nothing to him. Except for one person and he had been a dream.

Fighting the tears threatening to break through, he started toward the town, focusing on the ground. A shuffling sound made him look up, his eyes catching the man who was walking toward him. _A villager probably. I don't feel up to dealing with him. Maybe I can just…_He thought about turning the other way but sighed and waited for the man to come into range. Watching the black hair flying from his ponytail, Cid fought the memory and dream of Vincent. _No, I need to forget. Last night told me that plain enough. If I don't…_

"Cid! Hey! You're awake?" The man came closer, a bundled rope around his shoulder. Cid would have laughed at the man's resemblance to his lost lover, but held his tongue fearful he would start crying if he did. The memory was just too much. The pilot glanced into the man's eyes, cerulean mixing with crimson.

_Crimson?_ Cid drew in a slow breath as the man neared. "Vi—Vincent?" he gasped out, unable to say anything else.

The ebony haired man stopped short. "Who else? Hope you don't mind that I borrowed some of your clothes," he said with a smile. At that instant he was forced to the ground, Cid's arms binding him in an embrace. Sitting up, Vincent stared down at the blonde as confusion crossed his delicate features. "Cid?"

"I thought you were gone! I thought it was all a dream!" The pilot raised his head and looked into Vincent's eyes. "I—I…" His voice trailed off and he fell silent, laying his head on the other man's chest.

The gunman smiled softly and laughed. "I just went to let my chocobo loose, that's all. You thought I'd left?" He reached down and raised Cid's face to his. "I'd never leave you again," he whispered lightly.

"What do you mean?" _It's too good to be true_, he though. _First he's still here, now he's saying he'll stay?_ Blue eyes filled with questioning as he held Vincent's gaze.

Another laugh from the gunman. "Don't you remember? Last night you asked me to stay. You said it was your birthday wish." He raised his left hand which was free of its metal encasement. Cid wasn't surprised at the normal hand he was holding up. He was actually one of the few that knew the truth about what lie under Vincent's appendage. But it was a different metal shining on Vincent's hand that caught his attention. A small gold ring was on his finger, reflecting the sun onto Cid's face.

He recognized the ring. It was the very one that he'd bought years before to give to Vincent before he knew they would have to part. Now it was where it belonged, on the hand it was bought for. He smiled widely, a crystal drop sliding down his cheek. But this one was different. This time he was crying from the sheer joy running through his body. Throwing himself into Vincent's arms again, he hugged the man tightly. "I love you Vincent Valentine and I always will," he whispered into his lover's ear.

Crimson eyes sparkled as he tilted his head against Cid's. "So do I, Cid. Now, let's go home."

_-----------------------------------_

Yup, that's it. Sorry it just...ended. That was if you even liked it. I don't know. It was written under the influence of music and sleep deprivation, that's my excuse. I liked it as I wrote it, but them again I was in a weird mood. Now I'm not so sure. The actual writing I like, but the storyline? Not too sure anymore. It's okay, but not my favorite. :shrugs: Oh well. It all depends on what you yourself think anyway. If you like it, you do. If you didn't, you didn't. So yeah. Anyway, this probably won't happen again, a story like this showing up in my file.

Please review. Whether you liked it or not, I'm like to hear what you thought. :)


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